Mellows march to victory
A GOAL just before half-time, and a third-quarter purple patch, were key as Liam Mellows secured a deserved 2-14 to 1-10 victory over Gusserane in Saturday’s quite physical Top Oil Intermediate ‘A’ hurling championship Group B tussle at a warm Oylegate.
While any day all six starting forwards register on the scoreboard is worth praising, perhaps the most pleasing aspect of Mellows’ win was the performance of some of their younger brigade.
Indeed, Frank Roche hardly put a foot wrong at centre-back all afternoon, while to his left, Joe Gardiner thundered into the game in the second-half, and Rory Heffernan did a lot of unseen donkey-work in the middle.
A rather tentative opening saw both sides feel each other out before Mellows fashioned a halfgoal chance when Brendan Halpin fed Colin Kennedy, but the angle tightened on him as he struck the side-netting.
The first score didn’t arrive until the twelfth minute when Heffernan struck over stylishly from the right sideline, while Seán Ryan did similar for Gusserane two minutes later.
The latter added a free for what was his side’s sole taste of the lead, before an enterprising run from Halpin teed up Yusuf Frih for a neat leveller, and Frih also caught well and pointed on the swivel to make it 0-3 to 0-2 after 20 minutes.
Joe Gardiner swept in on a breaking ball on the way to landing a monster point, while Gavin Sheehan replied with a converted ‘65.
And whether by accident or design, Kennedy improvised a game-altering goal just before halftime when he connected mid-air to Gardiner’s dropping ball as it nestled in the net for a 1-5 to 0-3 interval lead.
Gardiner registered two longrange frees in the third quarter, the second following a hefty challenge on his big brother Danny, while Ross Cody, Stephen Moloney and Halpin all chipped in from play.
Ryan responded with five (four frees) for Gusserane, before both sides struck late goals.
Substitute Robbie Brooks’ perseverance was rewarded with a bounced finish in injury time, while Sheehan swept home a consolation goal for the losers almost immediately afterwards.
Craanford top Group B ahead of the mid-season break with two wins from two outings, with Geraldine O’Hanrahans and Liam Mellows both unbeaten as well with a win and a draw apiece.
Liam Mellows: Darragh Murphy; Marc Halpin, Conor Cleary, Aaron Condren; Andy Merrigan, Frank Roche, Joe Gardiner (0-4, 2 frees); Danny Gardiner, Rory Heffernan (0-1); Yusuf Frih (0-2), Ross Cody (0-2), Stephen Moloney (0-1); Brendan Halpin (0-2), Colin Kennedy (capt., 1-0), Eoin Cullen (0-2 frees). Sub. - Robbie Brooks (1-0) for Cullen (54).
Gusserane: Micheál Ryan; Jamie Sheehan, Ken Cahill (capt.), Liam Dillon; Páraic Conway (0-1), Gavin Sheehan (1-2, 0-1 free, 0-1 ‘65), Tommy Ryan; Adrian Redmond, Mark Kehoe; Kevin O’Donohoe, John Roche, Sam Wall; Seán Ryan (0-7, 5 frees), Mark Rossiter, Jack Culleton. Subs. - Jack Burford for Dillon, inj. (6), Darragh Doyle for Kehoe (HT), Shane Cullen for O’Donohoe, inj. (41), Donal Kiely for Rossiter, inj. (43), Tom Foran for Wall (46).
Referee: Kevin Kehoe (Our Lady’s Island).